These Arms of Mine
by lajulie
Summary: Posing as a couple on a mission, Han and Leia stage a kiss to avoid discovery by the Imperials - and find things getting a little more real than they'd anticipated. Originally posted to Tumblr for Scoundress Saturday in two parts: "These arms of mine" and "Tell me in a whisper." A little bit AU for pre-ESB kissing.
1. Chapter 1 - These Arms of Mine

_When a battalion of Imperials unexpectedly crashes the event they are attending for a mission, Leia thinks quickly to maintain their cover. Originally posted for Scoundress Saturday on Tumblr as "These arms of mine."_

* * *

 **Chapter 1 - These Arms of Mine**

The dance floor was crowded with couples. Han held Leia close as they swayed to the music, his breath hot, his lips softly grazing her cheek as he bent to whisper in her ear.

"Two at the north doors, one at the east." He left a light kiss on her lobe before pulling away to look at her face.

She tipped up her chin, her eyes focused on his. "South, then," she murmured, with a look that she hoped the casual observer would mistake for devotion.

His lips curled into a familiar grin, his eyes still on her. "I like this song," he said, subtly steering them into the direction of the south doors as they moved across the floor.

For once, Leia was grateful that it was Han with her on this mission. A quiet escape from the Harvest Festival Gala wouldn't be the easiest thing to pull off—they hadn't been expecting a battalion of Imperials to crash the party, after all—but they had worked together enough to trust each other in these kinds of situations. And their cover identity as an engaged couple meant that they had ample excuse to whisper sweet nothings in each other's ears.

"Holdout blaster?" she purred softly, as he bent down again to nuzzle her neck.

"Mmm. Two," he responded. Leia knew he was just playing a part, but she couldn't help a shiver as his low voice reached her ear.

"The package?" he asked in that same voice, and Leia felt goosebumps rise on the back of her neck.

 _Well, two can play at this_ , she thought. She gazed back up at him through her lashes. "You'll just have to wait for the wedding night," she teased. It was true; the data chip they'd come for was safely tucked into Leia's bra. _Not that there's going to_ be _any kind of wedding night, of course_.

She was rewarded with more of that grin, and Han's hand tightening on the small of her back as he steered her around the floor. _This would almost be fun if it weren't for that whole mortal danger part_.

* * *

They'd made it past the south doors without incident, and were about to head to the hangar when suddenly Han grabbed her and pulled her into an alcove. She was about to ask why when she saw one of the Gala's on-planet sponsors walking by, an Imperial commander in tow.

Han hit his comm and tapped out a coded message to Chewie, but Leia could hear the commander's voice coming back towards them, closer and closer, with the Gala sponsor reassuring him that of course all security protocols were being followed. "Rebels? Infiltrating our Gala celebration? I should think not!"

"Still," said the commander in clipped tones, "I would urge you to take every precaution."

Their footsteps were coming closer to where Han and Leia had hidden. Han looked at Leia with alarm. There was no time to think; on instinct, Leia pulled Han's face down to hers and kissed him deeply.

She could feel him tense in surprise, but he quickly recovered, returning the kiss and backing her up to the wall. No Rebels here; just an amorous couple finding a quiet corner for a rendezvous.

She'd never kissed Han; well, not like this. There had been pecks on the cheek, several chaste but sweet kisses on the lips while they feigned couplehood for various missions, and a few tender kisses to her forehead or the top of her head. As friends. But nothing like this, breathless and ardent and hot, his arms encircling her, her body pressed to his. Leia was going out of her head, momentarily leaving the mission to just _feel_. She felt wonderful. Exhilarated. Dizzy.

After a few minutes, they pulled apart, and Leia snapped back to reality. "Are they—?" She felt flushed.

Han had a bit of a flush himself. He was slightly out of breath. "Think so," he said. He pulled out his comm and checked it. "Chewie's clear. You okay?"

Leia had managed to compose herself again. "Fine. You?"

"Damned good," he said, with a bit of a smirk in her direction. "Let's go."

* * *

To her surprise, Han didn't so much as mention the kiss to Chewie, even after they were safely in hyperspace and back on their way to base. She'd thought for sure that Han would be crowing about it, teasing her about how she couldn't get enough of him.

Somehow, the fact that he had made no mention of the kiss bothered Leia more than it would have if he'd laughed it off. And for some reason, she couldn't stop thinking about it.

After spending a good portion of the evening tossing and turning in her bunk, reprimanding herself for getting hung up on something that was clearly just part of the mission, Leia gave up and made her way to the cockpit. The streaking lights of hyperspace offered an odd sort of comfort; if her brain was going to refuse to turn off, at least she could enjoy the view.

Shortly after she'd settled into Han's seat, she heard footsteps behind her. "Couldn't sleep?" Han asked.

She turned around in the chair. "Too much thinking," she said. "Did I wake you?"

He sat down in Chewie's chair beside her. "Nah. Still too wired, I guess."

They looked at each other awkwardly for a moment, then Han spoke again. "Look, I, uh, wasn't sure you wanted me to say anything about…"

"Yeah."

"So I didn't."

"Okay." Leia made herself stare back at the viewscreen; it was less difficult than looking at Han. They sat there silently for a few minutes, watching the stars streak by.

Finally, Han cleared his throat. "Leia," he said softly.

She turned back toward him, to say _what_ she wasn't sure, but it started with _I want…._

The same words were on Han's face.

Without thinking, she repeated her motion from the alcove and pulled him down to her mouth. _This_ , she thought, his lips on hers, his arms around her, the breathless, electrified feeling returning to her body. _I want this_.


	2. Chapter 2 - Tell Me In a Whisper

_After their kiss in the cockpit, things are a little awkward. Originally posted to Tumblr as "Tell me in a whisper." Prompt: "Kiss Me" by Rea Garvey._

* * *

 **Chapter 2 - Tell Me in a Whisper**

The command center was quiet, as it tended to be in the dead of night. Unless the base was on yellow alert or higher, only a skeleton crew was needed, and most of the staff had long ago retired in preparation for the next day's work.

Except for her.

Even in the low glow of the displays that surrounded her, Han could tell that Leia was running on fumes. A few wisps of hair had come loose from her braids, and she kept blinking as she focused on the datapad she was reading, her brow furrowed in concentration. Periodically she would pause from her reading to lean her head on one hand.

Han wasn't sure whether he wanted to tuck her into bed or kiss her again.

 _Maybe both_ , his brain suggested, but he shook that thought away as he approached. They'd agreed to play it cool, after all. Casual. Not let what had happened affect their friendship.

It had, though, no question. Hells, that was what had brought him over here in the first place. That, and Leia's predictable need for kaffe at an ungodly hour of the evening.

He plunked the thermal mug on her desk. At the sound, Leia looked at it, then up at him.

"Hi," she said with a wan smile. Her voice was a bit hoarse.

"Hi."

She blinked a few times. "It's late."

"Finally noticed that, did ya?" he grinned. "Just the night crew left."

She sighed lightly, stretching a bit as she sat up. "Thanks for this," she said, indicating the mug of kaffe. "You really didn't have to—"

"Oh, but I did," Han insisted, pulling over a chair and sitting down next to Leia. "You've been avoiding me."

Her deep brown eyes lingered on him for a moment, then narrowed. "No, I haven't."

"You have," he insisted. "Ever since we got back from that Harvest Ball thing." He smiled wryly. "But, y'know, so 've I."

She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Chewie noticed. Called me on it," he admitted. Normally that wouldn't have fazed him; after all, Chewie was his best friend, one of the most observant beings he knew, and had been making the case for years that the "Little Princess" was destined to be Han's mate. And even if he'd discovered anything, Chewie could be trusted to keep things private.

But Chewie had noted that both Han and Leia were acting _weird_ , as he'd growled, and had told Han that if they were just going to avoid and ignore each other all the time, Han and Chewie might as well just turn back to Tatooine right now.

"We're not just stayin' here because of _her_ ," Han had protested.

[No, of course not], Chewie had said. [We are working for parts because it is so lucrative.]

Han hadn't wanted to think any more about that. But he'd already begun to hate this strange new silence with Leia, and was determined to do something to end it.

Leia smiled. "I guess our sabacc faces aren't as good as we thought," she said. "Luke asked me if I was giving you the silent treatment."

They both chuckled at that, then were silent for another beat.

Han hadn't really thought this conversation the whole way through, he realized. _Maybe this is why Leia has a little speech prepared when she does these things_. He looked down for a moment, as if the stitching on his bloodstripes might have some ideas on what to say next.

When he looked up again, Leia was still looking at him. "Now what?" she asked, her voice softer than usual.

He'd been happy to let her set the rules, before.

 _We don't need to make this a thing. We can just go on as friends._  
 _Of course, Your Highnessness._  
 _Perfect. Just like that._

And they'd shaken on it. Han couldn't remember ever having shaken hands with Leia before, but they'd done it.

And a fat lot of good it had done either of them.

Leia was still looking at him, waiting for his response, and suddenly he recognized the look on her face. It was the same look she'd had in the cockpit of the _Falcon_ , the stars rushing by, right before her hands had reached up to pull his mouth down to hers.

He took her hand from where it rested on the desk, cradling it in his. "Leia," he said in a low voice, "what do you want?"

She paused, but her eyes remained on his. "We should probably…" she said, trailing off.

Was she leaning in, or was he imagining that?

"Probably," he agreed, leaning in as well. "But that's not what I—"

His sentence was cut off by the sensation of Leia's lips on his, her hand pulling his body to hers again, his heartbeat loud in his chest.

Two thoughts settled in his mind as he held her, as he kissed her again:

 _Me? You want_ me _?_ was the first.

 _Thank you_ was the second thought, the one that lingered, though Han had no idea whom he was thanking or when he'd said _Please_.

* * *

 _"Everything is casual, everything is cool_  
 _Everything is broken if I play by the rules..."_

 _\- "Kiss Me," Rea Garvey_


End file.
